Buenos Aires has one of the smallest rates of green space per capita, and what's left is under threat of commercial development. Neighbourhood groups are leading the fight to defend them, but with so many battles to wage, might the government's divide-and-conquer strategy be winning out?
Jeff Nottage argues that the UK government needs to allow development within green belt land in order to solve the current housing crisis.
Sceptical of the narrative that cities have wholeheartedly embraced urban gardening, Matt DelSesto spies a connection between city crackdowns on urban gardens and police crackdowns in poor communities.
Henrik Valeur presents a well-developed proposal to turn one "sector" in Chandigarh into a car-free area, and the confused behaviour of the authorities attempting to implement the idea.
Eye-catching new architecture is emblematic of Medellín's transformation, but behind it is a program of social and physical interventions and security improvements as Flavie Halais reports.
How can we reimagine a public space divided by civil war, sectarianism and redevelopment? Rather than sophisticated urban design, Tanya Gallo argues that allowing public space to retain its indeterminacy will keep it accessible for all citizens.
Henrik Valeur is a Danish architect-urbanist based in Copenhagen. His work is available at http://www.henrikvaleur.dk .
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The Global Urbanist is an online magazine reviewing urban affairs and urban development issues in cities throughout the developed and developing world.
Its readers are drawn from the urban policy and international development sectors, and include urban planners, officers in local, national or international government agencies, civil society leaders, and researchers.
